Nowhere Good
by winter2012
Summary: A futuristic North America is a wasteland due to a virus that has made flesh-eating monsters. Only a man and his daughter live to survive.


NOWHERE GOOD

BY

D.J. STEPHENS

1910 WESTMONT LANE, #1812

CINCINNATI, OH 45205-1162

D.J. Stephens

Under the hot sun are two individuals – a child and her father – walking through a desert wasteland in an unknown part of North America. Both are dressed in similar dirt brown coats carrying black duffle bags. The father carries two, while the daughter carries only one. The father, forty-year-old Dillon, is five-feet, nine inches tall with coffee-colored skin. Both a machete and a twelve-gage shotgun are strapped to his back, along with a black backpack filled with shotgun ammunition and explosives. Dillon, a former US Marine, has filled all three duffle bags with clothing, food, bathing, cooking and survival supplies.

Alongside her father is eight-year-old Victoria. She is four-feet, seven inches tall with coffee-colored skin. She has a folding knife clipped on to her right side, and a brown backpack containing a disassembled crossbow and arrows. Since the age of four, Victoria was taught to use these weapons and more by her father right after everything went to hell. And the US came under the control of the Biters, a populace of flesh-eating insect-like humanoids born ten years earlier from biogenetic engineering gone awry. The revolutionary process was meant to increase the strength, vitality, longevity, mental focus and physical capabilities of senior citizens age 65 and older.

The very first experiments performed on the first subjects proved successful. Those senior citizens were recorded having more mobility, energy, strength and focus - therefore improving their quality of life. However, there were side effects. The formula eventually mutated the first one hundred test subjects horribly. Their physical appearances changed with webbed feet, claws, antennas, pincher-equipped mouths that opened sideways, long scorpion-like tails with bladed tips and pitch-black faces with glowing red eyes. They stand upright on two feet like humans, but take after the likeness of a bed bug or cockroach.

They are very dangerous, and always hungry. Night or day they will hunt humans and animals alike to feast upon them. The creatures have spread all across North America infecting everything with a virus that has dried up rivers and lakes, killed numerous plant and wildlife and turned an overwhelming majority of the human population into Biters. Approximately, there are only a few hundred uninfected human survivors, and animals, living in North America – at least what is left of it. Food and clean water is scarce. North America is now one big dry and hot wasteland full of disease and danger.

Unfortunately, Dillon's wife died giving birth to Victoria two years after the rise of the Biters and the downfall of North America. Determined for him and Victoria to stay alive Dillon began teaching Victoria every survival tactic he knew from his days as a marine. He taught her fight techniques, and showed her how to use various weapons for self-defense and hunting for food. And now she is armed with the knowledge and skills of a true survivor. Today they journey through unknown land in the hot sun looking for somewhere safe. They have been walking for almost two hours and have found no such place, yet.

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D.J. Stephens

Victoria wipes sweat from her forehead. Dillon checks his digital watch on his left hand. It reads 9:25 AM. _This early and this hot out_, he thought to himself.

"Daddy, can I have some water?" asks Victoria. The two stop for a minute so that Dillon can retrieve a bottle of water from one of the two duffle bags he is carrying. He hands it over to Victoria who takes it gratefully. She unscrews the top and tilts her head back, taking huge gulps. The water is refreshing as it touches the back of her throat. Her father snatches the bottle away from quickly before she can empty it entirely.

"Vicki," shouts Dillon. "We've been over this. You drink water sparingly. You don't just crush it all at one time!"

Dillon screws the top back onto the bottle and throws it back into the duffle bag. He looks up to notice the tears forming in his daughter's eyes.

"Sorry, daddy," says Victoria in a sad voice. "It's just so hot out here."

Dillon gives Victoria a tight and gentle hug to comfort her.

"Sorry, Vicki," says Dillon in a calm voice. "I didn't mean to yell like that. I want us to survive. And most of all, I want _you _to survive. You understand me?"

"Yes, daddy," replies Victoria. "I get it." She smiles up at her father. Dillon cannot help but to smile back at her, reminded of how much she looks like her mother, Katana.

"Good," says Dillon. "Now let's keep moving."

The two continue on with their walk north hoping to stumble upon some place safe. Up ahead they come across a dozen rocky caves. Victoria and Dillon exchange looks. And then they move slowly closer to one of the caves.

"Stop," says Dillon quickly. "Look." Just a few feet away from them are a pack of grey desert wolves. They usually do not attack people but as a result of scarce food options and starvation, the wolves will eat absolutely anything that crosses their path.

Dillon and Victoria move swiftly out of the pack's sight by hiding behind a huge rock. Dillon is cautious and Victoria is frightened. She should be because one of the wolves picked up on their scent, and appears in front of her growling.

"Daddy," says a frightened Victoria.

"I see it," says Dillon reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a handful of salt. "Get ready to run like hell, girl." Dillon throws the salt straight into the eyes of the wolf, temporarily blinding it. The wolf squeals from the burning in its eyes. Dillon and Victoria take off running, causing the rest of the pack to spot and run after them.

The wolves bark as they are running, which makes this an even more terrifying experience for Victoria, and her father as well.

"Keep running and don't look back!" shouts Dillon. The wolf pack is quickly gaining on them. Dillon and Victoria run onto a large patch of sand which suddenly collapses underneath, plunging them both into darkness. The wolves stop immediately at the edge of the hole, as if they smell something wrong. The pack just disperses back in the direction of the caves. 2

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Dillon and Victoria find themselves underground in a pool of water that rises to their knees. They both look around and see two tunnels – one left and the other right.

"Where do we go now?" asks Victoria. Her father thinks about it for a second.

"We go right." Replies Dillon. The two do just that with Dillon leading the way with a flashlight in hand. The knee-deep water splashes with every step they take.

Dillon holds on tightly to Victoria's hand as a sign of comfort. Indeed this gesture sooths her. Towards the end of the long dark tunnel red glowing eyes appear, accompanied by a loud and horrid screech. Chills are sent down Victoria's spine as Dillon hands her the flashlight.

"Hold this." Dillon takes his shotgun from off of his back and cocks it once. The mysterious creature is moving closer to Dillon and Victoria.

A shaken Victoria shines the flashlight on a red-eyed beast with a pitch-black face and pincher-equipped mouth lined with sharp teeth. It stops directly in front of them and lets out a loud dreadful screech. Victoria screams as her father blows the creature's head off with his shotgun. Other eyes appear out of the darkness.

"Run!" shouts Dillon. He and Victoria make a bee-line back to the start of the tunnel with the creatures in hot pursuit behind them. Loud splashing and screeches break the silence of the tunnel.

The creatures have unbelievable speed far superior to anything, human or else. Dillon and Victoria are getting within range of the right tunnel's entrance where they entered. It is there they see a masked man wearing a black trench coat holding what appears to be a silver gun connected by tube to a silver case on his back. The man shouts at them.

"Get down now!" Dillon and Victoria do so immediately. The masked man then sprays flames directly at the approaching creatures. Almost in a panic the creatures turn around and head back into the darkness of the tunnel from which they came.

Dillon and Victoria rise to their feet to see the heroic stranger holding his flamethrower.

The stranger removes his white mask revealing his aged face, blue eyes and grey hair. He is clearly an older Caucasian gentlemen about in his mid to late sixty's.

"You folks alright," asks the man. "Those Biters almost had you." Dillon and Victoria exchange looks and say nothing. They do not meet many people out on the road and have ran into some trouble from the few that they did meet, such as thieves, scavengers, rapists and cannibals. It is very easy to understand their lack of trust for this man, despite him saving their butts just now.

"The name is Gil," says the man. "Gil Mathis. I and a few dozen survivors live down here in these interconnecting tunnels. It's safe from the dangers of the surface. You folks can come with me if you like." Dillon and Victoria exchange looks again.

A moment later Dillon and Victoria allow Gil to lead them through the left tunnel back to his colony. The two are still very cautious of Gil. Their eyes are fixed on him, hardly blinking even once. 3

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"My colony has lived underground for about ten years," says Gil. "We visit the surface only to gather food. We hunt down whatever we can find including meat, vegetables, water and fire wood – whatever is good for us. We do pretty well for ourselves despite all the nasty mess going on up there. How did you two manage to get down here?"

"We fell in through a sand patch being chased by wolves," replies Dillon. "I didn't have any idea that we'd run into those _things_ back there. What do you call them again?"

"Biters," replies Gil. "Those nasty little bastards eat just about anything that comes their way. You two are lucky that I came along with my trusty flamethrower. They hate fire. I learned that from the very first time I ran into one of them. They are as quick as a blur and possess a bloodhound's sense of smell."

"Well thanks, Gil," says Dillon. "That could've been the end of me and my daughter."

"Don't mention it," says Gil. "By the way, I never got your names."

"I'm Dillon Bale. And this is my daughter, Vicki."

"Where's mom?" asks Gil. Dillon pauses for a second.

"No longer with us," replies Dillon. "She had some complications with birth."

"I'm sorry." says Gil.

"Don't be," says Dillon. "We're making it okay."

"Good to know." says Gil. Gil leads Dillon and Victoria up to some kind of entrance, where a boulder is used for the door. Gil gets on his radio and contacts someone on the other side to let them in. the large boulder is pushed away by two men in white masks and black trench coats.

"Where'd you find them?" asks one of the masked men.

"They fell from the surface being chased by a pack of desert wolves." replied Gil.

"Bring them in." says the masked man. Dillon and Victoria follow Gil in as the two masked men roll the huge boulder back into place. Inside is a small but efficient colony of people. There are children playing about, women cooking and chatting with one another, men building wood fires in the dirt, chopping up freshly killed meat and harvesting small plants from their makeshift gardens. Dillon and Victoria were amazed to see all of this. Their uneasiness began to subside. They looked at the people who looked back at them.

"There is some fresh water over there if you or your daughter is thirsty," says Gil. "Don't be shy. You're welcome to eat with us what we have. We're a tight community down here."

_No kidding _thought Dillon sarcastically. Victoria sees a woman milking a goat. She always thought that only cows gave milk. She had learned something new. She peered over to see a butcher chopping pieces of meat from a carcass hanging from thin copper wire. This made her think about food.

"When is dinner, sir?" asks Victoria.

"Vicki!" says Dillon thinking that Victoria was being rude.

"Its okay, Dillon," says Gil. "The girl is just hungry." Gil looks at Victoria. "Dinner will be ready soon, Vicki." 4

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_Yes_ thought Victoria with glee.

A blond-haired, blue-eyed girl about Victoria's age and size runs up to Gil and hugs him.

"Hey, sweetheart," says Gil. "How's it going? I got some people here I want you to meet. This is Mr. Bale and his daughter, Vicki. They're going to be staying with us for a little while. I want you to make them feel welcome. You two this is my granddaughter, Cassia."

"Hi," says the girl. "I'm Cassia."

"Nice to meet you." says Dillon.

"Hi." says Victoria somewhat shy.

"Cassia," says Gil. "How about you and Vicki run along so that I and Mr. Bale can chit-chat?"

"Okay, Grandpa," says Cassia. "Come on, Vicki, come with me." Victoria looks at her father.

"Its okay, Vicki, go ahead." says Dillon. Together Victoria and Cassia walk away, leaving Dillon and Gil to sit and talk on a rusty bench.

"Are you a beer man, Dillon?" asks Gil pulling a medium-sized red and white cooler out from under the bench. Dillon flashes a big smile.

"I sure am!" says Dillon with excitement. "I haven't had a cold beer in years."

"Well, here you are." says Gil pulling a bottle of beer from the ice-filled cooler and handing it to Dillon. Dillon pops the top off and happily tosses back the beverage. The cool, refreshing taste almost erases the years of hardship that he and his daughter faced.

"Damn, that's good!" says Dillon with high enthusiasm. Gil laughs.

Victoria and Cassia sit and talk on a bench next to a makeshift pond.

"How long have you and your dad been wondering on the surface?" asks Cassia throwing a pebble into the small pond.

"A long time," replies Victoria. "We've been through a lot of stuff up there. I worry a lot. But at least I have my daddy."

"Where is your mom?" asks Cassia. She tosses another pebble into the pond.

"She died when I was born." replies Victoria with a sad look upon her face.

"I'm sorry." says Cassia.

"Don't be," says Victoria. "We're making it okay." Cassia pauses for a second.

"I lost both of my parents." says Cassia.

"What happen to them?" asks Victoria. Cassia takes a deep breath.

"The Biters got them," replied Cassia. "They were ripped apart like paper and eaten piece by piece two years ago out on a hunt. Since then, my grandpa has been looking after me."

"Brothers or sisters?" asks Victoria.

"No," replies Cassia. "And you?"

"No." says Victoria. The two continue to talk and toss pebbles into the pond. Meanwhile, Dillon and Gil are chatting over beers.

"So no one around here knows where those Biters come from – nobody?" asks Dillon. Gil takes another sip of his beer. 5

D.J. Stephens

"Nope," says Gil. "The only person that knew anything about the Biters is dead. A few years back, while a group of us was out on a hunting expedition, we found this terrified man living in a cave. He said that he had been there for some time.

He said that he was a scientist for the government. He claimed that he and other scientists were to blame for the creation of the monsters – Biters. But that is all that he told us right before he blew his brains out with a magnum."

"So he killed himself right in front of you?" asks Dillon. Gil takes a sip of his beer.

"Yes," he replies. "Right there in the cave." Dillon takes a sip of his beer. Just then a bell is rung.

"What's that?" asks Dillon. Gil rises to his feet.

"It's dinner time," replies Gil. "Come on. Let's get some chow in our stomachs." Dillon gets up and follows Gil.

The whole colony has gathered in a small dining area complete with chairs and tables lined up in rows. Seated at the table in the first row are Gil, Cassia, Dillon and Victoria along with a few other colonists. For dinner there is potato soup, salad made with tree leaves and meat that closely resembles meat loaf. There is glass cups filled with fresh drinking water and some with homemade strawberry wine, only for the adults. Both Dillon and Victoria are intoxicated by the aroma of the meal placed before them. Victoria's mouth starts to water.

"Everything looks great," says Dillon. "I can hardly wait to dig in."

"We will in a second," says Gil. "But first we need to say grace."

"Can I do it, Grandpa?" asks Cassia.

"Sure," replies Gil. "Go ahead." Cassia clears her throat and everyone bows their heads and closes their eyes.

"Our merciful father that reigns in hell and on Earth, please bless this food that we are about to receive." says Cassia. Dillon and Victoria are shocked to here this kind of prayer.

"And most of all," continues Cassia. "May we forever serve you with every inch of our souls Amen." Everyone else, except Dillon and Victoria, say amen. Dillon cannot believe what he had just heard. Victoria really does not understand it, but knows that something is not right.

"Well, lets eat." says Gil digging in with his fork.

"What the hell was that?" asks Dillon. Everyone freezes.

"Something wrong, Dillon?" asks Gil.

"Yes there is." replies Dillon. "Your granddaughter just said a satanic prayer."

"And your point is?" asks Gil.

"Most people don't say those kinds of prayers unless they're Satanists." replies Dillon.

"That's because all of us _are_ Satanists," says Gil. "Every last one of us." Dillon looks unpleased. He stands from the table. He looks at Victoria who does the same.

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"I think we overstayed our welcome," says Dillon. "We'll be leaving now. Come on Victoria." Both make their way towards the exit only to be blocked by two masked men in trench coats pointing rifles at them. _Just my luck _thought Dillon. Victoria becomes uneasy. Gil stands from the table.

"You won't be going anywhere," says Gil. "We're not only Satanists, but we are also cannibals. It seems that your luck has finally run out." A dart is shot into the back of Dillon's neck, knocking him out. Victoria screams.

Moments later Dillon awakens tied to a chair. So is Victoria next to him. Their mouths are held shut with black duck tape. Victoria has been crying as evidence of dried tears appears on her face. Gil, his granddaughter and a few men stand in front of Dillon and Victoria. They all have sadistic looks upon their faces, cold and disturbed. Dillon has an angry look upon his face. He cannot believe he and his daughter fell into this trap. He feels foolish. His trusting in Gil may as well be the end.

"You two are going to be good meat," says Gil. "Great for a big old pot of beef stew. It's been a long time since we had fresh meat wonder our way. Just sit tight. We'll be with you shortly." Gil, his granddaughter and the six men walk away. Dillon and Victoria sit helplessly as the colonists prepare a giant black pot of hot, bubbling and boiling water to cook their flesh in. Buckets full of chicken broth and vegetable oil are added to the simmering pot. The colonists are smiling like kids in a candy store as they make these preparations.

As the colonists talk amongst themselves, Dillon manages to slip a sharp razor blade from his sleeve only to have it drop to the ground. He is now even more frustrated. He cannot reach the blade to cut himself and Victoria free and there is a great possibility that the both of them will die at the hands of these devil-worshiping, cannibal freaks. _Damn it_ thought Dillon. Just then Cassia appears behind him. She cuts Dillon loose, and then Victoria who removes the duck tape from her mouth. So does Dillon.

"Why are you helping us," asks Dillon. "Won't you get into trouble?" Cassia hands Dillon and Victoria their bags.

"I don't care," says Cassia. "I'm tired of them harming innocent travelers. They are all very crazy. You two should go while you've got the chance. Don't worry about me." Dillon and Victoria rise from their chairs.

"Can we take her with us, daddy?" asks Victoria.

"No!" says both Dillon and Cassia in unison. Dillon pulls out his shotgun. Victoria assembles her crossbow. Cassia has a remote with a red button on it.

"You're going to need a good distraction to get pass fifty-plus colonists," says Cassia. "That's why I've planted some C4 overhead to blow a gapping hole in the ceiling – as well as the colony entrance – where a group of Biters are waiting outside to get in." Victoria looks at her father. 7

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"You're willing to kill all those people for us so that we could escape?" asks Dillon. Cassia takes a deep breath.

"It's either you or them," replies Cassia. "And I'd rather see them die. Take cover now." Dillon puts a hand on Cassia's shoulder.

"You're a brave girl, Cassia." says Dillon. "Your folks would be proud. Come on, Vicki." Victoria gives a quick hug to Cassia. And then she follows her father.

Cassia takes another deep breath with her thumb over the red button.

"Mommy, daddy, forgive me." Cassia presses the button. A large hole is blown into the ceiling and pieces of big rocks fall onto colonists standing underneath.

And the entrance has been blown away allowing a floodgate of hungry Biters in. The colonists are thrown off guard and start to panic. The colonists are not quick enough to get to their weapons, and are immediately torn apart by the Biters. Horrid screeching and terrified screaming fill the colony. Gil, hiding under a table, realizes that Dillon and Victoria are not tied up anymore.

"Slippery bastards." says Gil with anger. The table he is under is swiftly knocked away. He looks up to see a Biter screeching with its pinchers wide open. _Oh, God _thought a frightened Gil. The Biter tears into him like a piece of meat.

"Help me!" screams Gil in pain. From a corner of the colony Cassia watches this. Her only regret is not doing this sooner. Tears roll down her face.

"See you in hell, Grandpa." A Biter spots her from the ceiling. It quickly jumps at her, but is shot down in mid-air by Dillon. Cassia's eyes meet with Dillon's.

"It's not your time," says Dillon. "You're coming with us."

Dillon, Cassia and Victoria run as fast as possible down the tunnel with Biters on their tails.

"Don't look back!" shouts Dillon. Finally they reach the end of the tunnel. There it is an exit – a reasonably small opening carved in some rock that leads to the surface. The Biters are fast approaching.

"You girls go first," says Dillon. "I'll deal with them."

"Come on." says Cassia. Victoria, worried about her father, follows Cassia into the crawl space, leaving Dillon to handle the Biter onslaught.

"Come on you freaks," shouts Dillon. "I'll take all of you to hell with me!" He pulls out one of three grenades and tosses it just as the Biters turn the corner. The explosion kills a few of them.

Dillon cocks his shotgun and fires, blowing one of the remaining Biters in half. Three more swiftly lunge at him. Meanwhile the girls have made it to the surface. It is nighttime and very dangerous to be out. Where the girls have emerged sits old, rusty abandoned cars on a sand lot. They decide to take cover inside one of them. Once inside, Victoria and Cassia think they are safe. 8

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But a Biter leaps onto the roof of the car. The girls scream as it tries to tear its way in through the roof.

"What do we do?" asks a scared Cassia. The Biter crawls to the windshield and busts out the glass. The girls scream even louder as it pokes its hideous face inside at them. The horrid screech forces Victoria to shoot an arrow in the Biter's face – she kills it.

"You killed it, Vicki." says Cassia. The girls are out of breath.

"I was waiting for the right moment." says Victoria. Cassia and Victoria look at each other.

"When is your dad coming up?" asks Cassia. The question worries Victoria.

Just then, a large underground explosion collapses more than half of the sand lot, except for the portion that the girls are on. Victoria thinks about her father being trapped down below. She starts to panic.

"Daddy!" she screams. Cassia hugs her tightly to comfort her. Victoria starts to shed some tears, believing that her father is dead. That is until Dillon pokes the upper-half of his body out from under the sand.

"Vicki?" he shouts. "Vicki?" Victoria immediately exits the car and dashes over to her father, with Cassia behind her.

"Daddy?" says Victoria. "You're alive." She and Cassia pull Dillon out of the sand. Moments later the three of them are walking in the still of the night. The hot daytime desert temperature has dropped to a freezing nighttime temperature of thirty degrees.

Everyone is bundled up.

"Where are we going, Mr. Bale?" asks Cassia. Dillon pauses for a second.

"I don't know," replies Dillon. "Where ever this direction takes us, I guess."

"Let's hope that it's somewhere good." says Victoria. Everyone is now silent as they put one foot in front of the other and walk onward.

THE END

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